2011 · drama
Play (2011)
Directed by Ruben Östlund1h 58m2011
In central Gothenburg, Sweden, a group of boys, aged 12-14, robbed other children on about 40 occasions between 2006 and 2008. The thieves used an elaborate scheme called the 'little brother number' or 'brother trick', involving advanced role-play and gang rhetoric rather than physical violence.
Our read: Play (2011) (2011) reads as a heavy, measured, grounded drama entry — measured in intensity, intimate in scope, cold in temperature, nihilistic in outlook, with a strong directorial signature.
Heavy, measured, measured drama, grounded in texture. Nihilistic, intimate, cold.
- heavy
- measured
- intense
- bleak
- cold
Watching Play tonight? Spin for your lens.
Everyone on the couch spins once and gets one craft to watch for. After the credits, compare what you caught.
Your lens for tonight
?
Everyone on the couch gets one craft to watch for. Spin the wheel to get yours. Sound on: the narrator reads your mission.
More info & search links
How Play feels to watch.
Each axis is scored by hand, not from votes or genre averages. The bar uses the film's own colours.
What watching it is actually like.
“You want a tense, observational study of psychological bullying and social dynamics among kids.”
Skip it tonight — Skip if watching children being manipulated or harassed will distress you.
Eight films that feel like this one.
Closest in the twelve-axis space, not “people also liked”. All films like Play, with why →
Discussion
Make it a movie night.
Pick a mood, get a film the whole couch will enjoy, and give everyone something to watch for.
Pick tonight's film →